OPENING PLEANRY (UNEA-7)

The Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) delivered a powerful and unambiguous message at the opening plenary of the Seventh United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Nairobi today, calling for a multilateral system that delivers real ambition, fairness, and tangible support for the world's most vulnerable frontline communities.

Speaking on behalf of the PSIDS group, Fiji's Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Mosese Bulitavu, underscored the region's leadership and resolve in confronting the triple planetary crisis. He noted that while Pacific nations are small in landmass, they are vast in ocean stewardship, cultural identity, and environmental responsibility - and that the stakes for island nations could not be clearer.

In delivering the statement, Hon. Bulitavu emphasised that for the Pacific, the theme of UNEA-7 is not an abstract diplomatic framing but a lived daily reality. He highlighted that the Pacific is experiencing climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution in real time, with coastlines shifting, fisheries declining, and plastic pollution entering food systems and communities. Despite these pressures, PSIDS continue to push forward transformative reforms, refusing to be defined solely by vulnerability.

The Minister drew attention to the growing global leadership of the Pacific, noting that Fiji and Vanuatu are leading two resolutions at UNEA-7, and recalling the historic moment earlier this year when the Pacific hosted the Sixth Asia-Pacific Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities (AP6) for the first time. That gathering amplified the region's message that the Pacific is not merely an affected region but a region ready to set the pace for the world.

In outlining PSIDS' expectations from the Assembly, Hon. Bulitavu called for ambition that is backed by meaningful resourcing, underscoring that new mandates without finance, technology transfer, and implementation support do little to change the lived realities of island communities. He stressed the need to protect the integrity of science and multilateralism, urging Member States not to weaken hard-won language across the multilateral system. He also reaffirmed that oceans - the foundation of Pacific identity, economy, and climate regulation - must be placed at the centre of global environmental governance.

Hon. Bulitavu reaffirmed the PSIDS commitment to outcomes that raise ambition and protect environmental integrity. He noted that PSIDS will continue to resist any efforts that weaken or delay global progress or shift burdens onto those in the frontlines and least responsible. He also underscored the region's determination to ensure that the realities of frontline communities are never sidelined in global decision-making.

The Minister extended the Pacific's appreciation to the Government and people of Kenya for their warm hospitality and to UNEP for its stewardship of the Assembly.

He concluded with a clear and resonant message on behalf of the PSIDS family:
If multilateralism is to prove its worth, it must deliver first for those who have the most to lose. The islands, peoples, and shared blue continent of the Pacific depend on it.